2. -- The economic calendar in the U.S. Wednesday includes the Commerce Department's retail sales report for January at 8:30 a.m. EST, and export and import prices for January, also at 8:30 a.m.

3. -- U.S. stocks on Tuesday ended mixed. with the Dow Jones Industrial Average reclaiming its position above 14,000 for the first time since Feb. 1. The Dow gained 47 points, or 0.3%, to close at 14,019.

The S&P 500 rose 2 points, or 0.2%, to 1,519. The Nasdaq fell 6 points, or 0.2%, to 3,186.

4. -- President Obama noted how the U.S. has emerged from the rubble of economic crisis in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, his hope to allow families to more easily refinance their homes and the need for deficit reduction, among other economic issues.

The president, however, didn't once mention Wall Street, banks or finance.